QUOTE OF THE DAY…. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) doesn’t want Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the failed car bombing in Times Square, to be Mirandized. Neither does Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.).
“Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still,” King said.
“But still“? What does that mean, exactly?
Keep in mind, King will be the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee next year if Republicans retake the House majority.
Come to think of it, there are a few other things to keep in mind. First, as a practical matter, we know that the Mirandizing suspects does not undermine our national security interests. For decades, this wasn’t even a subject open to debate until Republicans decided last year this might be exploited politically to confused scared voters.
Second, on Fox News this morning, both Glenn Beck and Andrew Napolitano supported following the law and Mirandizing Shahzad. Congratulations, John McCain and Pete King, you’re now slightly less reasonable than Fox News personalities.
Third, as Matt Yglesias noted, reading a suspect his/her rights isn’t just some nicety: “[T]o give [a suspect] the death penalty, or indeed any penalty, you need to put him on trial. Which is to say you need to prove that the guy in custody is actually responsible for the crime. And the whole reason cops mirandize suspects is that if you don’t, you risk having your evidence thrown out of court. If you gather all the information before mirandizing, you could be throwing the whole thing into doubt. Which is why professionals give out the warning.”
And finally there’s this important contextual observation from Adam Serwer: “Yesterday, when the primary suspect in the attempted bombing of Times Square was a middle-aged white guy, Republican leaders were the picture of calm, sober leadership. High-ranking Republicans on committees related to national security like Pete Hoekstra and Peter King urged people not to jump to conclusions, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised New Yorkers for not succumbing to fear…. That was yesterday.”
